ILLUSTRATION BY DIMITRI MORSON/MIDJOURNEY
Order accuracy declined slightly overall, though most of the services improved compared with 2024.
Overall delivery fees decreased compared with 2024. Most services reduced their charges to consumers.
than the promoted time, up from 27%, while 62% of orders came in quicker than the promoted time, down from 72%. And the actual speed of delivery slowed, and overall satisfaction with speed of service at restaurants did, too. Overall, the average delivery time increased by nearly a minute at restaurants, to 34 minutes, 17 seconds, from 32 minutes, 25 seconds. Getting a delivery order from a restaurant is now nearly two minutes slower than it is to get one from a convenience store, where the average time is 32 minutes, 25 seconds. DoorDash remained the fastest overall, both for restaurants (30 minutes, 59 seconds) and convenience stores (27 minutes, 38 sec- onds). But DoorDash’s delivery to restau- rants slowed by more than four minutes. At Uber Eats, delivery times improved by more than two minutes, to 35 minutes, 47 seconds. First-party delivery was faster than any- body, at least from restaurants: The average delivery time was 30 minutes, 8 seconds. Overall satisfaction with speed of service slowed overall, with 91% of consumers sat-
isfied with the speed of service, down from 94% a year ago. Yet consumer satisfaction with Uber Eats’ speed dropped, despite its improvement in delivery times. Order accuracy at restaurants was down slightly, with 89% of orders accurate, com- pared with 90% a year ago. But DoorDash had the biggest drop on that front: 88% of its orders were accurate, down from 98% last year. Every other service saw improve- ments. ORDER ACCURACY TAKES A SLIGHT HIT But the food came in colder, perhaps because the delivery times were longer, at least at restaurants. Eighty-nine percent of restaurant orders were at the right temper- ature, down from 94% a year ago. Con- venience stores scored better on that one: 90% of their food orders were at the right temperature. That said, the fees charged to consumers were lower. The average delivery fee was $5.14, down from $5.96 a year ago. Door- Dash had the biggest drop in fees. Its average
delivery fee was $4.08, down from $5.85 a year ago. Uber Eats was the most expensive third-party provider at $5.79, down from $6.38. Yet first-party delivery was the most expensive to the consumer, at $5.95, compared with the average third-party fees of $4.86. DELIVERY FEES DECREASE And the prices charged for menu items offered on the delivery apps increased compared with a year ago. Many restaurants raise the prices they charge on the apps to make up for the fees they pay for delivery services, which can increase the price consumers pay. Overall, the price for main items ordered from third-party services was $1.85 higher than the regular menu item, compared with $1.71 a year ago. Delivery service markups were higher this year than a year ago on both Uber Eats and Grubhub. But they were lower on DoorDash than they were a year ago ($1.63 higher compared with $1.71). Check out the study here.
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS OCTOBER 2025
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